Frances Gifford
Frances Gifford
Biography
Frances Gifford had a somewhat unorthodox introduction to the movie business. Born and raised in Long Beach, California, she had no ambition to be an actress, and in fact had applied to UCLA when, at age 16, she and a friend got to visit the Samuel Goldwyn Studios, where they watched a movie being shot. A studio exec saw her and asked if she would take a screen test. She did, the studio was impressed with the result and put her under contract. Nothing much came of it, however, other than bit parts, and she moved to RKO. Nothing much happened there, either. She had married actor James Dunn and decided to retire, which she did, in 1938. Off the screen for almost two years, she got a small part in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and her career began to revive. She was signed by Paramount, which soon loaned her to Republic, where she made the film she is probably most remembered for: the serial Jungle Girl (1941), based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs story. Unfortunately, her career never really took off, and she bounced around among several studios. In 1948 she was involved in an auto accident in which she received severe head injuries. Although she seemed to recover physically, her career took a nosedive, and she made her last film in 1953. In 1958 newspaper stories reported that as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident, she was admitted to a California state mental hospital. Nothing further was heard from her or about her until 1983, when a writer for a film magazine found her in Pasadena. She had apparently fully overcome her physical and mental problems and was working for the city library. She died of emphysema in Pasadena in 1994.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
37
Gender
Female
Birthday
1919-12-07 (105 years old)
Place of Birth
Long Beach, California, USA
Acting

2004

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6 as Doris (archive sound)

1953

General Electric Theater as Evelyn Crewes

1953

Sky Commando as Jo McWethy

1950

Riding High as Margaret Higgins

1948

Luxury Liner as Laura Dene

1947

Little Mister Jim as Jean Tukker

1947

The Arnelo Affair as Anne Parkson

1945

Thrill of a Romance as Maude Bancroft

1945

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes as Viola Johnson

1945

She Went to the Races as Dr. Ann Wotters

1944

Twenty Years After as (archive footage)

1944

Marriage Is a Private Affair as Sissy Mortimer

1943

Cry 'Havoc' as Helen

1943

Tarzan Triumphs as Zandra

1943

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour as Hilary Dane

1942

The Glass Key as Nurse

1942

Star Spangled Rhythm as Frances Gifford (uncredited)

1942

American Empire as Abigail 'Abby' Taylor, Dan's Sister

1942

The Remarkable Andrew as Miss Halsey

1942

Beyond the Blue Horizon as Charlotte (uncredited)

1942

My Heart Belongs to Daddy as Grace Saunders

1941

The Reluctant Dragon as Doris

1941

West Point Widow as Daphne

1941

Jungle Girl as Nyoka Meredith

1941

Border Vigilantes as Helen Forbes

1940

Forty Little Mothers as Granville Girl

1940

Hold That Woman! as Mary Mulvaney

1939

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Hopper Girl (uncredited)

1939

Mercy Plane as Brenda Gordon

1938

Having Wonderful Time as Salesgirl (uncredited)

1938

Maid's Night Out as Ticket Seller - Octopus Concession (uncredited)

1938

Night Spot as Nightclub Patron

1937

Stage Door as Mary McGuire (uncredited)

1937

There Goes the Groom as Undetermined Role (uncredited)

1937

Living on Love as Bus Passenger

1937

New Faces of 1937 as Showgirl